The former pro-democracy lawmaker was convicted of several offenses, including subversion, in Macau’s first publicly known prosecution under its national security law.
A Macau court sentenced former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San to 12.5 years in prison on 6 November after convicting him of several offenses, including “subversion against the political power of the State.”
Au was detained in July 2025 in the first publicly known prosecution under Macau’s national security law since it took effect in 2009. Macau is a special administrative region of China.
The court said Au had helped organizations it described as externally hostile over a long period collect, prepare and publish images and information that it characterized as politically subversive. Au was accused of providing false information to anti-China organizations outside Macau to incite hatred against the Macau and Beijing governments. It also said he sought to incite hatred against China’s central government with the intention of overthrowing and undermining the state’s constitutionally established fundamental system.
Au’s closed-door trial ended in September after three days and raised fairness concerns, DW said. The court had previously said a judge ruled out an open trial to safeguard national security interests.
Au served in Macau’s legislature for two decades before stepping down in 2021. He also co-organized vigils in Macau commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.
The European Union denounced his arrest in 2025, saying it added to concerns about the “erosion of political pluralism” in Macau.
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